Lufttransport Staffel 6

Last updated
Lufttransport Staffel 6
Escadrille Transport Aérien 6
Active1960s - today
CountrySwitzerland
Branch Swiss Air Force
Roletransport squadron
Garrison/HQ Alpnach Air Base

The Lufttransport Staffel 6 (LT St6 or LT 6) is a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The pilots associated with it are part of the Berufsfliegerkorps. A third of the pilots are militia pilots employed by civilian employers. The Lufttransport Staffel 6 together with the Lufttransport Staffel 8 is part of the Lufttransport Geschwader 2, which belongs to the Flugplatzkommando 2 (airfield command 2) at Alpnach Air Base.

Contents

Lufttransport Staffel 6 carries as coat of arms an oval badge with the front view of a black fly on a white ground, above and below a red area. The abbreviation "LT" stands at the top in the red area, the number 6 is at the bottom. The camouflage version of the coat of arms shows the same image, but in dark green shades instead of white and red.

History

The expansion of the helicopter fleet in the Swiss Air Force started in the early 1960s. This led to the formation of Lufttransport Staffel 8 and Lufttransport Staffel 6. Lufttransport Staffel 6 is equipped with 15 Alouette III helicopters. It completed its first retraining course from October through November 1967. The Lufttransport Staffel 6 used the Alouette III helicopters until 2010. According to today's Lufttransport Staffel 6 and the groundcrew organization, the separation of the groundcrew and air component originated in 1974. In 1992, Lufttransport Staffel 6 introduced the AS332M1 Super Puma, and in 2001 it introduced the AS532UL Cougar helicopters. Since 2010, Lufttransport Staffel 6 has also used the Eurocopter EC635. The former commander of Lufttransportstaffel 6, Bernhard Müller, is scheduled to become the new commander of the Swiss Air Force on 1 January 2018 . [1]

Lufttransport Staffel 6 is tasked with helicopter air transport throughout Switzerland.

Aircraft

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Alpnach Air Base

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The Lufttransport Staffel 1 a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The homebase of the Lufttransport Staffel 1 is the Payerne Air Base. The squadron «La UNE» is part of the Lufttransportgeschwader 1 together with the Lufttransport Staffel 5. The coat of arms of the Lufttransport Staffel 1 is a black bat before an orange number 1 on a green background.

Lufttransport Staffel 2 was a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force and belonged to the Überwachungsgeschwader. The Lufttransport Staffel 2 was most recently equipped with Alouette III and had its homebase on the Alpnach Air Base.

Lufttransport Staffel 3

Lufttransport Staffel 3 is a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The unit is part of the Berufsfliegerkorps and is part of the Airtransportgeschwader 3 together with the Lufttransport Staffel 4, Which on its part belongs to Flugplatzkommando 2 at Alpnach Air Base. The home base of the Lufttransport Staffel 3 is Dübendorf Air Base. The squadron carries as coat of arms a red number 3 whose lower end transitions into a black line and finally forms the contour of a helicopter in flight, in front of a white mountain, blue sky and gray ground. A former Lufttransport Staffel 3 badge was round with a blue background down with two white mountain peaks to be seen, also with white circle who indicated radius of the rotor and the radius of the tailrotor. A white line formed the number 3 with the rotor and the bow of the red helicopter hull.

Lufttransport Staffel 4

Lufttransport Staffel 4 is a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The squadron forms part of the Berufsfliegerkorps but hosts also militia pilots. Together with Lufttransport Staffel 3 it is subordinated to Lufttransportgeschwader 3, Which for its part belongs to the airfield command 2 at the Alpnach Air Base. The home base of the Lufttransport Staffel 4 is Dübendorf Air Base. The Lufttransport Staffel 4 carries a white numeral 4 as coat of arms, stylized to form the trunk of a helicopter against a blue background.

The Lufttransport Staffel 5 is a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The homebase of the Lufttransport Staffel 5 is the Payerne Air Base. The Lufttransport Staffel 5 is part of the Lufttransportgeschwader 1 together with the Lufttransport Staffel 1. The coat of arms of the Lufttransport Staffel 1 is a side view of a green grasshopper in front of a white circular ground, which shows the white number 5 on one of its wings. The camouflage version of the coat of arms shows the same image, but in dark green shades.

Lufttransport Staffel 7

The Lufttransport Staffel 7 is a militia transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The LT St 7 belongs to the Flugplatzkommando 7. It is stationed on the Militärflugplatz Emmen. As coat of arms, the Lufttransport Staffel 7 wears a dark blue side view of a Pilatus PC-6 next to the two parachute jumpers in the free fall in front of the yellow letter LT and the word Staffel and two lines forming a 7 with blue background and a yellow circle. There is also a camouflage version, which has a dark green background, the LT Letters, the word Staffel and the double 7 are white, the side contour of the PC-6 is also by white. Previously the LT Staffel7 had a coat of arms showing a Globi on a red / white parachute against a light blue background and the black inscription: Lufttransport 7 Staffel / Kompanie.

Lufttransport Staffel 8

The Lufttransport Staffel 8 is a transport squadron of the Swiss Air Force. The pilots are part of the Berufsfliegerkorps. A third of the pilots are militia pilots employed by civilian employers. The Lufttransport Staffel 8 is, together with the Lufttransport Staffel 6, part of the Lufttransport Geschwader 2, which belongs to the Flugplatzkommando 2 at Alpnach Air Base. The home base of the Lufttransport Staffel 8 is the Alpnach Air Base. The Lufttransport Staffel 8 carries as coat of arms an oval badge with two light blue symbols in helicopter shape that strongly remind the side view of the Alouette III flying offset so that the two white rotor circles form an oblique 8 in front of an oval dark blue background. The camouflage of the coat of arms shows the same picture, but in dark green / light brown colors.

Bernhard Müller (general)

Bernhard Müller is as a Swiss military official. He is the Commander of the Swiss Air Force.

References

  1. Bundesrat, Medienmitteilung vom 22. März 2017, Mutationen von Höheren Stabsoffizieren der Armee.